Another Oath to Swear
by Might is Right
Summary: Saved by a certain Level 0, Mugino managed to escape the dark side. She lived a life full of tranquility and liberty until the lover of the man she killed returns wanting revenge. Meanwhile, the Touma finds himself targeted by Faction Kihara and others. Obligated to repay her debt to Touma, Mugino will learn that perhaps she isn't as free as she thought.
1. Wolf's Lair

Kamijou Touma was truly a fearsome person. The high school boy was so fearsome that he had managed to gather around him an extraordinary group of individuals, creating the Kamijou Faction. Touma had seen both sides of the coin. Touma had spent most of his life living within the stronghold of the Science Side, Academy City, yet he could not be considered a member of the Science Side. He was the bridge connecting the Magic and Science sides for he was a Level 0 with no magical abilities.

He possessed the Imagine Breaker. It was an ability so powerful that even Saints trembled upon hearing of its strength. It was with this ability that Touma had defeated the strongest esper in Academy City with a few punches, ending a scheme that would have allowed the Science Side to reach God's Domain. Underneath the appearance of an unassuming high school boy, there was a monster that could easily devour even the strongest of people.

But the word monster referred to his absurd strength. It did not refer to his personality for he was a hero who helped others even at the cost of his own. As a result of his heroic actions and his involvement in many unfortunate circumstances, the Kamijou Faction was born. Made up of members of both members of the Magic and Science Sides, the Kamijou Faction frightened other factions.

It was not the fact that the faction disregarded the rules of the game that made the faction so feared. The members of the faction were far more terrifying. Over his life, Touma saved or reformed many people of great power and influence. The Kamijou Faction, as a result of this, contained Saints, powerful members of the Anglican Church, potential Majin candidates, at least three Level 5 espers, and many others from the two sides.

It was Touma's fortune or rather, misfortune that allowed him to meet the extraordinary people who made up his faction. Touma's misfortune would soon put him in the middle of a conflict that would be yet another trial to prove Touma's own position as a hero and allow him to meet even more extraordinary people.

…

The room was not cold, but Kihara Byouri shivered anyways. She was remembering. It had been months since a single event changed her entire life and she had managed to shurg off almost all of the events that soon followed. Assassination attempts and thorough investigation into her life meant nothing to her. But no matter what she did, she could not forget what she had seen at that recycling plant.

The cold, dead body of the only man who had ever shown interest in her wellbeing was forever pressed into her calculating brain.

She was back in his office, looking down in horror at the body that lay at her feet. His lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling and his mouth was twisted as if cursing his killer. Blood stained the floor and the walls, the red contrasting sharply with the surroundings.

And as quickly she had been put into that terrible room, she was transported back into reality. Despite hating that she was forced to see the body, she hated not being able to mourn properly. The other members of the Kihara family only considered love and romance as a means of carrying on the family line. Despite all the disapproval, Byouri found herself liking and even loving the man who had introduced himself as Saul Karter.

And why not? Saul was rather good looking, but more importantly, he was willing to overlook Byouri's faults. She had long been regarded as a disappointment for members of the Kihara were expected to be sound in both mind and body. The other members were the ones who implanted the idea of "giving up" in her mind. It pained her to know that she had told Saul himself to give up on life.

It was the biggest regret in her life.

Byouri's internal lamenting was interrupted by the door to her room opening, revealing Kihara Enshuu. The little girl looked at Byouri and motioned outside.

"It's time."

…

The auditorium in the secure complex was almost completely packed with members of the Kihara family. Byouri herself was sat in the front row, watching as others filed into the auditorium and found their seats. Her eyes soon turned towards the old man standing on the stage and behind a podium, a screen behind him. The old man was the leader of the Kihara family, Kihara Gensei. A man of eighty three, he was the oldest living member of the family and he was by far the most famous and powerful. He scanned the crowd, the noise in the room quickly dying down. With that, he began.

"Welcome, members of our great and glorious family," said the ancient scientist, echoing the traditional introductory words of a Kihara family gathering. "I have called this gathering in order to address the situation that our family now faces."

The sound of murmuring could be heard, all those in the auditorium immediately growing concerned by Kihara the Elder's words. The family was of utmost importance to all Kiharas and there was no greater issue than one that threatened to tarnish the family's immaculate history. Gensei waited until the talking had died down to continue.

"Recently, our faction has experienced repeated failures in our attempts to advance science beyond its current limits. Faction Kihara faces a threat that is unprecedented for it only continues to grow like a cancer. That threat is the Kamijou Faction. It now stands to deliver the weight of the world unto us, destroying us all. Behold, the face of our enemy." said Gensei as a picture of Kamijou Touma appeared on the screen behind him.

Byouri immediately felt hatred towards the high school boy. She immediately devised a thousand ways to kill the boy, but her thoughts were interrupted by the voices of other family members.

"A mere high school boy stands in our way? Surely you jest!"

"Have we fallen so far to be trembling in fear at the image of a mere boy?"

"Enough with the jokes, Gensei! Show us who dares to challenge our glorious and honorable family!"

Gensei's eyes opened slightly, the room immediately growing quiet. The old man smiled slightly and the screen displayed events where Touma had appeared and the result of his appearance. All instances resulted in the failure of some experiment that members of Faction Kihara had set up.

"Do not be fooled. The Kamijou Faction is truly powerful, but the one who leads it, the high school boy you so willingly mock, will be the end of our family and faction. Some of us can testify to the boy's potential to be our undoing and those not here have already felt the consequences of crossing him and the members of his faction." said Gensei to heavy silence.

Byouri and others grimaced at the last sentence and many others shifted in their seats uncomfortably. Nobody could deny the truth in his words. All opposition silence, the wrinkled, old man continued.

"Fortunately for us, the boy known as Kamijou Touma does not yet realize his full potential. He has limited knowledge of the allies he had gathered and his nature is that of a righteous and unassuming high school boy. He is reckless and refuses to place logic before emotion when faced with a situation that could result in the death of another." Gensei folded his hands on his podium. "We must quickly act and take advantage of all resources at our disposal and the weaknesses in Kamijou Touma's character. There can be no debate on the urgency of this issue. Kamijou Touma presents the greatest threat to Faction Kihara, _our_ faction, and therefore, must be eliminated."

…

**This prologue was very short and for that I apologize. It's just that I've been feeling awful from sickness and as a result, I just had to write something. At first, I tried to write the prologue to my Othinus/Ollerus story, but I couldn't stop thinking about this story. So, this prologue was created. **

**This story is a sequel to Mugino's story from One Last Corpse. This story ended up being created much quicker than I told people it would. Updates, however, will not be as fast because I am currently busy with school and other activities. I hope that this is not inconvenient for anybody. **

**Maybe I made Kihara Byouri a bit too OOC, but I enjoyed humanizing her a little bit. Also, I will refer to Kihara Gensei as "Kihara the Elder" because I think it's a good title for the head of the most famous family in Academy City. **

**I'd like to take this time to ask for help regarding characters I have little to no knowledge about, especially Othinus and Ollerus, and the story in general.**

**Please leave a review if you would like to see more and I'll see you all next time. **


	2. Misfortune on a New Scale

**Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! Warning before the chapter starts: there are a lot of perspective shifts. I hope you guys don't mind.**

…

In Academy City there were seven individuals who were worthy of being worshipped and feared like gods. They each possessed power so great that they could easily fight against an army. Every one of them had gone through many experiments in order to make them even stronger, constantly trying to push the boundaries of science.

A few of them were killers. The Meltdowner, the fourth strongest esper in Academy City was one of the seven who could be classified as a "murder."

Shizuri had seen many corpses throughout her life and almost all of them had been tied with experiments. She had used her Meltdowner indiscriminately, destroy and killing whatever and whoever stood in the way. After years of such wonton violence, she went on a rampage.

…

_Beep_

_Beep Beep_

_Beep Beep Beep_

The hand slammed down on the alarm clock, quickly deactivating the alarm. Shizuri grumbled as she opened her eyes, looking around her room. The Level 5 esper lay in bed for another five minutes, slipping in and out of sleep. Eventually sitting in bed got too annoying and Shizuri got out of bed, her feet landing on the soft carpet. She stretched and glanced out the window to catch a glimpse of the sun rising. Mugino could not stop the smile from appearing on her face. Another morning had come.

The Meltdowner yawned before heading across the room to open her closet. A variety of clothes hung inside and she quickly chose what to wear. That was when she noticed. She immediately turned around and scanned the entire room just to make sure it wasn't her imagination. The bedroom in the apartment she currently occupied contained a closet full of clothes and a bed. It wasn't a large room, but Mugino couldn't help but feel that her room was larger than it actually was because, well, it was rather empty.

"Well, better add furniture to the shopping list." murmured the Level 5 as she opened the door to her room.

Shizuri stopped at the bathroom next, brushing her teeth thoroughly and taking a quick shower. Afterwards, she changed into the clothes she had picked from her closet. The door to the bathroom opened and Shizuri stepped out, drying her hair with a towel.

Normally, breakfast would have been the next thing on the menu, but she wasn't feeling hungry. Instead, she walked into the kitchen and got a glass out of the dishwasher. She walked over to the fridge and it made a whirring noise as it poured water into the glass. Taking a sip from the glass as she walked, Mugino sat down in the living room. She closed her eyes and just drank from the glass.

Everything was silent and Mugino enjoyed it. The level of silence in the apartment would have been impossible to achieve where she had used to live.

_Where I used to live…_

It had been a while since she had last used her ability. It had also been a while since she had last taken a life, although she could still remember who her last kill had been. It was difficult to forget something like that. Mugino had long since forgotten how long it had been since she managed to escape the dark side, but she knew that she was incredibly lucky to be alive. She remembered feeling overjoyed.

But she also remembered feeling fear and doubt. She had immediately started to doubt the influence of her own actions. The questions full of doubt were like a storm, shaking her entire life to the core. And during the storm came the rain, falling heavy with fear. Fear penetrated the shaky defenses she had put up and drenched her and threatened to start a flood that would wash her away.

For a while, Mugino thought that "freedom" was even worse than the slavery-like condition she had just escaped. Eventually, the feelings of doubt and fear subsided and Mugino ventured outside, greeted with the sun smiling down at her. The lack of controlling scientists watching her every move disoriented her and she stumbled for several days, unable to adjust to the fact that she was now free to do whatever she wished.

A minor side effect of being freed was that Academy City no longer provided her with a ridiculous allowance, although monetary worries were quickly alleviated with a quick phone call to her family. She bought the apartment she was currently sitting in and began her life anew, although she frequently thought about her old life.

More specifically, she thought about a few people she had known when she had been involved with the dark side. She could no longer access underground sources, but she still heard rumors while going about her life as a normal citizen of Academy City. Her thoughts shifted to ITEM, the mercenary group she used to work with.

Almost all of the rumors she heard were about the group and the fate of the group did not vary with every instance. ITEM had simply faded away. According to rumors, Frenda had defected to SCHOOL and Shiage and Takitusbo disappeared together. Only Kinuhata had stayed with ITEM, becoming its leader. After some time, however, ITEM went completely under the radar and nothing else was heard. And that suited Shizuri just fine.

Fighting against those who she had once called comrades and maybe even friends was her worst nightmare and a confrontation against ITEM had been what she had feared most during the early days of her freedom.

But there was another person on her mind. While Shizuri's memory of ITEM consisted of several years and events that had shaped her, the memory of this certain person was made up of one single event.

On that fateful night, Kamijou Touma had stepped into the alleyway demanding justice. On that night, Shizuri's illusions had been broken. On that night, Kamijou Touma had defeated her, the fourth strongest Level 5, with a single punch.

To any observer, the outcome of the battle would have been a decisive defeat for Shizuri. But to Shizuri, the battle was the spark that ignited the fire that lit her path towards freedom.

Mugino set the finished glass of water on the coffee table in front of the couch and looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows that gave her a perfect view of Academy City. She smiled as she watched the cars drive on the roads and the people walk along the sidewalk.

She swore that the next time she saw the high school boy named Kamijou Touma she would repay her debt to him.

_Nothing in the fridge and don't want to cook. Well, I guess I'll be eating out today. Maybe pick up some groceries and shop around for furniture as well. _

And with that thought, Mugino Shizuri headed out the door of her apartment.

…

"Such misfortune…"

The high school boy known as Kamijou Touma sighed as he walked out of his school, his bag in hand. Today's misfortune had been much stronger than usual. Touma walked away from the school, recapping the day's unfortunate events.

The alarm clock had failed to go off this morning so he was awoken by the sharp bites of Index, the freeloading nun who lived with him. As a result of the broken alarm clock, Touma had to quickly make breakfast but soon found out that he had forgotten to buy groceries and could only afford to make breakfast for Index. As a result, the high school boy had been forced to go hungry until lunch.

In fact he was still hungry.

"And just to make things worse, I forgot about the math homework and the pop quiz. My misfortune never lets up, does it?" lamented the boy as he walked home, sullenly.

"Wait right there!"

Touma turned around to see who had called after him and his heart sank when he saw who it was. The city's third strongest esper, Misaka Mikoto, was standing behind him, electricity already crackling around her. The high school boy immediately checked his surroundings. Nobody was around and there were no buildings aside from a large bridge in the background, a wide river running quietly underneath it.

It was the perfect spot for a confrontation.

Touma sighed as the middle school esper ran up to him, pointing her finger at him.

"What do you want, biribiri?" asked Touma as Mikoto grinned.

"I think it's time we settled who's stronger once and for all. I won't let you weasel your way out of this one!" she said as electricity shot towards him in an arc of destruction.

Instinctively, Touma raised his hand, the electricity disappearing on contact. Mikoto did not look concerned by this and reached into her skirt pocket for a coin. Touma gulped as Mikoto held it up for him to see.

"Hey, do you know what a railgun is?"

She flipped the coin and Touma watched it fly through the air, wondering why he was the only one who was forced to undergo such trials.

_She always asks me what a railgun is… Well, let's just get this over with and go home. _

There was a deafening roar and a flash of orange light as the coin blasted towards him at incredible speed. Touma barely had enough time to move his hand into position to block the coin.

The heat and pressure against his hand was incredible and Touma almost had to take a step back.

_Whoa…she's a lot stronger than I remember. _The sound of breaking glass was heard and the coin fell to the ground, no real harm done to Touma. _Or maybe I've gotten weaker?_

Mikoto was speechless as Touma examined his right hand. The skin on his palm was scratched and bleeding slightly, but it was nothing serious. His fingers curled into a fist and he grinned as he looked at the third strongest esper in Academy City.

"This time it's my turn!" he shouted as he ran towards her, fist flying towards her.

Misaka Mikoto, the Railgun and third strongest, could only hold up her hands in defense.

…

It was nighttime in Academy City. Streetlamps and store signs lit up the roads and sidewalks and Kamijou Touma found himself walking to a supermarket in order to buy ingredients for dinner. The high school boy sighed as he walked on the sidewalk.

The duel had ended in what Mikoto had described as a "tie" although Touma was more than happy to throw the victory to her. He glanced down at his palm. He knew that it was most likely his imagination, but he felt like something had changed. He shook his head and sighed. He didn't have time to be contemplating something as insignificant as a tiny wound on his right hand.

He currently had two choices: make dinner or die.

His stomach growled and Touma was reminded that the task at hand was not to satisfy the freeloading nun known as Index. It was also to satisfy his own hunger that ate away at his very being. He arrived at the large square where the supermarket was and moved through the crowd of people in order to get inside. He bumped into several people while doing so and just as he was about to get into the store, a boy not much older than him bumped into him.

"Sorry about that, dude."

The teenager quickly disappeared into the crowd and Touma shrugged it off. He reached into his pocket to make sure he had the correct amount of money and he found…nothing.

The money was gone.

_What?! It was just there! Damn, did I just get pickpocketed by that guy? _Touma thought frantically as he tried to locate the boy who had bumped into him. _I-I need that money! I don't want to starve!_

Touma took off running, wanting to find the boy who had stolen his money. It didn't take long for Touma to realize that the pickpocket had made his escape. The high school boy sat down on a nearby bench in despair.

"I can't get dinner now…Index is going to kill me. Such misfortune…" said Touma, resigning to his fate.

The high school boy was about to head home in defeat when he heard an offer he could not refuse.

"How about I buy you dinner?"

…

Mugino was out walking around looking at clothes when she saw the familiar boy run past. Her eyes widened and her eyes followed the boy as he ran through a crowd of people to get to a supermarket close to the clothing store she was standing in front of.

She saw the money slip out of his pocket and knelt down to grab it. She looked up and saw the boy running wildly around the square, looking for something. She smiled.

_Well, well, well. This is damn good opportunity to maybe start repaying my debt…this is a rather interesting situation…_

And with that, she extended her generosity to the boy who had changed her life.

…

An unmarked van drove down the streets of Academy City, completely unassuming. Inside the van, however, sinister plots were being hatched. In the back of the van sat Kihara Byouri, a golden retriever, and a Hound Dog operative. The golden retriever had several wires attached to his body and glanced at Kihara Byouri.

"You look sort of anxious, Byouri. Relax." said the golden retriever.

The golden retriever's human speech brought Byouri out of her own thoughts and back into reality. She glanced at the dog and thought about how absurd the situation was. She was riding in a van with a talking dog. Still, she maintained her composure.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine." replied the handicapped woman before changing the subject. "Just what are you planning, Noukan? You haven't told me anything yet."

"Well, we're almost at the destination so I'll tell you. We both heard the Elder give his speech at the gathering and I couldn't help but want to learn more about the boy we are out to get rid of." said the dog. "He's a rather fascinating boy and I have decided to use lesser peers in order to minimize the losses and to maximize the profit."

_Lesser peers? Ah, right… _thought Byouri as she listened to the dog speak.

Lesser peers were members of Faction Kihara who had not yet proven themselves to be worthy of the honor of calling themselves a "true Kihara." The majority of Faction Kihara was referred to as lesser peers and Byouri herself had once been a lesser peer, although some still considered her one due to her disability. Noukan's snickering reminded her that she was still supposed to be listening.

"We're going to picking up a rather remarkable lesser peer today, Byouri. The son of Kihara Amata, one of the greatest Kiharas to ever live!" marveled Noukan, Byouri raising her eyebrow.

The son of the Cruel Tiger? She hadn't even been aware that he had ever fathered a son.

"Unfortunately, his father's legacy isn't enough to show him the error of his ways. He insists on wasting his life being a delinquent." The van lurched to a stop and Noukan's tail began wagging quickly. "Ah, we're here!"

…

"Tch, does nobody carry money around with them anymore?"

The teenage boy walked on the sidewalk towards the slums of Academy City, his hands in his pockets. The boy was wearing a black hoodie, tight jeans, and a grey beanie on his head. A cigarette stuck out of his mouth and his eyes revealed his lack of sleep.

The boy had been hoping to be able to lift some money of people, but he had to leave empty handed after failing to grab even a cent. He didn't notice the van coming up behind him and stopped walking to look at the white, unmarked van with curiosity.

"The hell?" asked the teenager as the back door of the van burst open, a man in full military gear grabbing him and throwing him in the back.

"Goddamn it! What the hell is going on?!" shouted the teenager as he looked up to see a golden retriever looking down at him, the dog's tail wagging rapidly from side to side.

"Hello, Kihara Zankinsen. We've come to make you a deal."

…

"I can get _anything _I want?" asked Touma, a look of disbelief on his face.

"For god's sake I've said yes at least four damn times!" responded Mugino, a look of annoyance on her face.

The events of dinner had taken a completely new direction. Mugino had first approached Touma with dinner and the high schooler had been surprised to see her. There had been no hostility in his voice although there was an understandable level of suspicion. It had taken quite a lot of persuasion to get the high school boy to come to the underground shopping center with her.

She watched the high school boy tell the waitress what he wanted for dinner with a smile on his face.

"I'll have the cheeseburger, the steak, the pancakes, the chicken noodle soup, the fried chicken, the ribs…" said Touma, listing off just about everything on the menu. "…all to go please."

"Wait just a damn minute! You're seriously going to get all of that shit to go?!" demanded Mugino as Touma scratched his chin.

"Oh, right! I forgot to order something for myself! I'll have a plate of sesame chicken, please." said Touma as the waitress took the order.

"What do you mean, you didn't order anything for yourself?! You just ordered the entire damn menu!" said Mugino as Touma sighed.

"Yeah, I currently live with a freeloader who pretty much eats all the food. It's difficult to keep her satisfied." explained Touma.

Mugino and Touma talked for a bit until the food came out. Most of the food ordered was put away to the side and Mugino was the first to finish her meal. She watched Touma eat and couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, listen. About that night…" started Mugino, Touma looking up.

At exactly that moment all the lights in the underground mall went out and alarms started blaring.

…

**Cliffhanger ending, but I needed to wrap this chapter up. This was actually quite long and I originally had trouble getting this chapter started. I apologize for the wait. I wanted to get this chapter out but I didn't have enough time to actually write it. So, this chapter just floated around in my head for a very long time. **

**Touma might seem OOC but that's just how I see him. I've obviously changed a lot about Mugino too. Kihara Zankinsen is an OC of mine and will be the "field boss" of this little arc. Pretty much all of the field bosses will be OCs so I hope you guys don't mind. Kihara Noukan also made his appearance and I honestly enjoy working with a weird character like Noukan. I don't get to use talking dogs very often. **

**To those waiting for the next chapter of Let Us Live, I don't know when the new chapter will be out. I have to think real hard about what needs to happen next.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review!**


	3. Dirty Noise

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! It's awesome to see that so many people are enjoying the story. This chapter will follow mostly Zankinsen and Touma.**

…

Among the Kiharas, Kihara Amata stood out. Born as a lesser peer, he soon became one of the most famous members of the Kihara Family, discovering the talent of a young albino child who could become the infamous Accelerator. Amata dedicated an extensive amount of time researching Accelerator's ability and became even more famous when Accelerator became the strongest esper in Academy City. He was also one of the few people who could claim to be able to defeat Accelerator, using the Kihara Counter, a tactic he himself developed. It was obvious that Kihara Gensei would choose him to become the next head of the family but Amata was killed by his own disciple before Gensei could name Amata as his successor.

…

Kihara Byouri watched silently as the teenage boy was hauled into the van, the Hound Dog operative simply dumping the child on the dirty floor. Noukan seemed to be enjoying the unnecessary roughness, his tail wagging back and forth vigorously, panting with his tongue out. The child on the floor of the van swore and rolled onto his back, glaring up at those who had just abducted him off the street.

_He's Amata's son? Doesn't look like much at all… _thought Byouri, her expectations being shattered by the teenage delinquent she saw in front of her.

"You disappoint me and the rest of your family. Why do you insist on fighting against us? We are not your enemies." said Noukan as the boy coughed, glaring up at the golden retriever.

"Yeah? I've never heard of a friend grabbing off the street and stuffing me into a van to talk to a fucking dog." spat the boy.

The boy let out a painful grunt as the Hound Dog operative slammed his foot into the boy's side. Byouri glanced at Noukan, but the dog was too busy watching the boy get abused. Byouri sighed and Noukan took that as a sign to move on, interrupting the beating.

"I'm surprised that you regard us with such animosity. You have been blessed with being born into one of the most prestigious families in the world and you instead decide to become a delinquent? Your father knew of your deplorable actions and yet, was generous enough to leave behind an inheritance and a legacy that you would have been able to become as great, if not greater, than your own father." said Noukan as Zankinsen laughed.

"An inheritance? Give me a goddamn break, mutt. I knew my father and that was no inheritance. That was his final insult to my mother. A few letters as compensation for the awful things my mother had to go through? My father left this world without a shred of respect for anybody and that's not a legacy I want to leave behind." responded Zankinsen.

Byouri had listened to the entire exchange with interest. She remembered when Amata was killed. Saul had attended the funeral with her although both of them had never known him well despite both belonging to the same scientific society. Byouri decided to ask her own questions. She was tired of Noukan assuming he was in charge of everything.

"You speak as if being a pickpocket is an honorable profession compared to being a highly respected researcher. Do you wish to leave behind a legacy of criminal activity and poverty?" asked Byouri, hoping for an interesting answer.

The kid stared at her with a hard look. She could see Zankinsen's hands curling up into fists.

"I don't pickpocket people because I want to. I do it because I have absolutely no money to my name. I have a debt that would make gamblers balk and guess what? I live in the filthiest slum in Academy City and I can't even say I barely scrape by. And it's all because of my inheritance." said the boy, a hint of disgust in his voice.

Byouri said no more. She folded her hands and just looked down at Zankinsen, her face devoid of all emotion. Noukan looked at Byouri and then down at Zankinsen.

"If that's all both of you have to say, I'll get on with the operation I have so brilliantly formulated." said Noukan, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Kihara Zankinsen, our faction is under attack from a high school boy known as Kamijou Touma."

The teenage delinquent smirked at the golden retriever as a photo of Touma was handed to him by the Hound Dog operative. Zankinsen looked at the photo and looked up.

"I swear I met this guy today." He looked back down at the photo. "Yeah, I remember him alright. Last person I tried to pickpocket."

"Excellent. Since you seem to barely know this young man, you will not have any qualm against potentially killing him. Is it clear what we want you to do?" asked Noukan, looking at the boy.

"Wait, you want me to kill this kid? What the hell? There's no way I can do that. I'm no murderer." said Zankinsen, throwing the picture to the side and glaring at Noukan.

Byouri imagined that Noukan was not even affected by Zankinsen's defiance. She knew that Noukan would get what he wanted one way or another.

"It is regrettable that I must resort to bribes, but it seems that you will only cooperate when we are forced to meet your selfish wishes. Should you get rid of this threat to our faction, we shall provide all funds for your studies. You will no longer hear from us and you will be allowed to study in peace and comfort. How does that sound? You said that you wished to leave a different legacy. Now is your chance to chase that foolish dream of yours if you are willing to do whatever it takes." said Noukan.

Stony silence followed the offer.

…

The back doors to the van were opened and the teenager was thrown out, landing on the hard concrete. The doors quickly closed and the van quickly sped away, leaving Amata's son behind. Noukan seemed content, lying down on his seat in the van comfortably. Byouri on the other hand, was not nearly as comfortable.

_You claim to be a true Kihara yet you know hardly anything about the secrets your family keeps. There is still much you do not know or understand, Byouri. Learn. Learn for his sake, _thought the handicapped woman as she looked at Noukan resting his head on the seat.

"Were you convincing enough? It seems to me you've only succeeded in angering him." said Byouri casually, Noukan lifting his head to look at her.

"Hmm? Oh, I know I was convincing enough. He will fall into line. All men break under the weight of their greatest desires." responded Noukan, yawning.

"He said something about being in debt. Where is all of that money going?"

"The boy attends a private school. He has at least inherited some of his father's intelligence but he squanders it by pursuing something that is not fit for one with the Kihara name."

"Just what does he plan to become?"

"Oh, I do not know, Byouri. Let us be quiet. We must conserve our energy in order to help along our little fool. But I believe he once said something inane about becoming a teacher."

…

"Fucking hell…"

He muttered to himself as he stood up and brushed himself off, watching the van drive away. He hated them. They were always reminding him that he was supposed to conform to what they wanted for the sake of the family's spotless history. He suddenly grinned to himself.

"Yeah, well screw you guys! I'll chase my dream and I'm fine with becoming a black mark on your shitty family history!" shouted Zankinsen towards the van before turning to walk away.

_This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it, _thought Zankinsen as he walked, deep in thought.

It was ironic that the very group of people who were the ones oppressing him were now the ones giving him a chance to break away from everything he hated. The teenager swallowed hard as he took out the picture of the boy named Kamijou Touma. He stared at the picture as if trying to find some hidden meaning.

_Kamijou Touma, huh? Just who are you? Why does my asshole family want you out of the picture? _

Whatever questions he had in his mind, they were all pushed down as Zankinsen stood in front of an entrance into the underground shopping center. He reluctantly descended the steps leading down into the shopping center. As soon as his first foot left the last step, everything went dark and alarms began blaring throughout the mall.

Zankinsen took a deep breath and unzipped his hoody. He tried smiling.

"Let's get this show on the road."

…

_Such misfortune…_

Touma put down his eating utensils and stood up with Mugino, both of them looking around the restaurant. People were exiting quickly, leaving their food half eaten on the tables.

"Something must have happened…I guess this is where we part." said Mugino as she brushed past him.

She was out of the doorway when she turned around to look at Touma, a faint smile on her face.

"Before I forget, let's exchange phone numbers. I haven't even started to pay you back yet and it'll be easier for us to stay in touch." explained Shizuri.

"I still don't know what you're talking about when you say you owe me, but sure I'll give you my number." said Touma, scratching the back of his head.

The two of them quickly exchanged numbers, Touma waving as Mugino went her own way. Once the Level 5 esper had vanished from Touma's sight, the high school boy went the other way, carrying some of the boxes of food with him.

The underground mall was eerily quiet and Touma looked around as he walked, confused by what he saw.

_It doesn't seem like there was an accident anywhere around here. Wait, could it have happened somewhere else? _ thought Touma, rounding a corner to see the exit of the underground mall. _Crap, the gate's closing! I better hurry or there's no telling when I'll get home to feed Index!_

Touma started to run, carefully holding onto the boxes of food. The metal gate was in the process of closing, but Touma still charged forward, determined to get out of the mall. He slid the boxes of food underneath the gate and was about to dive underneath the gate when it suddenly slammed into the ground.

_N-No way…this can't be happening. There's no way I'll be able to get home in time to give Index dinner… It's all over. I'm doomed. Such misfortune!_

Touma was so busy lamenting his own misfortune that he didn't notice the teenage boy wearing a black hoody approach him from behind and slam his foot straight into the high school student's back, sending him slamming painfully into the metal gate.

"Well, I guess fortune is on my side. If you had managed to slide underneath that gate I would have been in big trouble. Let's see if this good fortune will hold." said the teen, breathing a sigh of relief and half smiling.

Touma pushed himself off of the gate and turned to glare at his attacker. His angry gaze was soon replaced with one of surprise as he realized that the one who had attacked him was also the one who had pickpocketed him. His hands curled into fists.

"Oh, it's you, the one who pickpocketed me! Are you after more of my money?" asked Touma as the delinquent teenager raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I didn't take any of your money, dude."

"Don't lie! I felt you bump into me and then my money went missing!" Touma shoved his right hand into his pocket and it emerged gripping a wad of bills. "Wait what the hell?!"

The teenager laughed wholeheartedly, obviously amused. Touma just glared at him.

"Hey, I might be a pickpocket, but Kihara Zankinsen is no liar." said Zankinsen as he cracked his knuckles, grinning at Touma.

_A Kihara? Why are they after me? How did he even manage to sneak up behind me in the first place? _

Touma remained silent and charged at the teenage attacker, throwing a well-aimed punch at the Kihara's face. Zankinsen blocked the punch, grimacing at the impact. He countered with his own punch towards Touma's face. The high school student was about to block it easily, having already predicted a similar move using his precognition, but was distracted by a piercing noise that rattled his entire body. The distraction gave Zankinsen enough time to throw in an additional kick, sending Touma sprawling on the ground.

_W-What?! That noise… Is this guy an esper? _thought Touma as he stood up, grabbing his side in pain.

"Hey, you're an esper, aren't you?" he asked, the delinquent nodding his head and smiling.

"That's right. My ability's called Dirty Noise. Pretty much lets me mess around with sound waves. Not terribly exciting, but it's better than nothing. What's yours?" asked Zankinsen as he reached into his hoodie pocket and produced a small plastic case filled with white tablets.

The lesser peer opened the case and a single tablet fell out, the boy quickly putting it in his mouth and then chewing it. Touma watched him make a sour face and then put the case away, glancing at Touma as he did so.

"You ever use these? They always say that they've improved the flavor but it's always just bullshit. Still, gives me something interesting to do with my power!" said the boy.

Touma saw something similar to a heat shimmer shot towards him. The boy dodged only to be greeted with more flying towards him, keeping Touma at a distance.

_I don't know what he just used, but it seems like he's gotten a bit stronger. I don't want to find out what happens if I get by one of those waves. Looks like I'll have to use Imagine Breaker…_

He saw one coming straight towards him. He thought back to his encounter with biribiri. Something had felt different during that match… He stuck out his right hand, unsure of what would happen. The shimmer hit his right hand and immediately vanished with the sound of breaking glass following it.

…_It worked? So nothing was different after all…_

Touma grinned and felt confidence return to him. Zankinsen looked stunned, his eyes wide. Touma charged forward, throwing a punch. Zankinsen hesitated, still getting over the shock. The punch connected with his stomach, sending the teenager to the ground. Despite the powerful blow dealt straight his stomach, Zankinsen could still manage to smile.

"Nullifier, huh? Looks like you're the real Anti-Skill!" shouted the delinquent as he got up off the ground.

_Shit… It hurts so damn bad. He can pretty much write off my ability with just his hand… I shouldn't have used the crystals. I'm running out of time… _thought Zankinsen as his eyes darted around his surroundings, trying to find something he could use.

There was nothing around and the teenager dodged a punch from Touma, the two of them engaging in a fist fight that would have impressed any Skill-Out thug. After several minutes of nonstop brawling, the two separated, both sweating and panting. Zankinsen fell to his knees, feeling the pain.

_Fuck… This guy, man. He's something else. He knows how to fight way better than I do and only my endurance has kept me in the fight… Should I play dirty? Damn it all… _thought the Kihara as he wiped away the sweat on his face.

The teenager reached into his hoody pocket for something when Touma's voice reached his ears.

"Why are you doing this?"

Zankinsen stopped. He looked at Touma and the two locked gazes, Zankinsen looking away. His hands tightened.

"I'm not doing this because I hate you and I want you to feel miserable, dude. I was given a choice… It's a choice that will decide whether or not I will be able to fulfill my promise to mom. I don't want to be like my dad and I understand that what I'm doing can ruin me, but this is my only chance…" said Zankinsen quietly, looking back up at Touma, his gaze fierce. "I hope you understand!"

Touma saw the switchblade materialize in Zankinsen's hand and he just watched as the Kihara charged, his eyes wide.

"You don't have illusions…" said Touma quietly as Zankinsen's blade got closer and closer to him. "BUT YOU'RE NOT LIVING YOUR LIFE CORRECTLY!"

An incredible pain shot through Touma's entire body as Zankinsen's ability was let loose without restraint, but the high school boy pushed through the pain. He knocked the hand holding the knife to the side using his left wrist and quickly smashed his right fist upwards into the teenager's jaw. The effect was immediate. Zankinsen fell backwards, the knife spinning out of his hand. It was over.

…

Touma watched Anti-Skill authorities handcuff Kihara Zankinsen and lead him into a van. He was holding the boxes of food from the restaurant Mugino had taken him to and then he realized.

_Aw, crap I still need to feed Index!_

And with that Kamijou Touma, leader of the Kamijou Faction, ran home to feed a freeloading nun, having met yet another extraordinary person.

…

**And there we have the conclusion to the first arc in this story: the Son of Amata Arc. Touma and Zankinsen fought and I hope the fight was good. I haven't written a full fight in a very long time. **

**I hope that my big focus on Zankinsen wasn't too annoying. I wanted to develop him more and I also wanted to make him likeable. Did I do my job well? Also, I apologize for the lack of Mugino in this chapter, but at least Mugino got Touma's phone number. I wanted to focus more on Zankinse this chapter because I focused on her last chapter. She'll be appearing more often the next arc. **

**I have quite a few things planned for this story and I hope you'll stick around to see what I have in store. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review! I'll see you all later!**


	4. The Saint and the Demon

**Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and alerts! This will be the start of a new arc. Maybe I can use this chapter to really get back into writing?**

…

It was an unusually hot day in Academy City. The hordes of people stumbling about in the sweltering heat testified to the extreme heat. Within the city, however, the temperature was only an issue while outside. Anybody could step into a building and be relieved of the oppressive heat in an instant. Outside of the city walls, there was nowhere to hide. Barren wasteland stretched for miles, separating the city from any real civilization. The hellish landscape only added to the misery felt by anybody who was outside of the city walls.

And yet people still came.

They came by the thousands, hordes of people wanting a chance to change their lives by becoming an esper. Standing in the never ending line to enter the city, unprotected from the sun was a small price to pay for the chance to be discovered as the next high level esper or to even live in the most advanced city in the world. Everybody wanted to begin their life anew as an esper.

"You have been cleared. I hope you enjoy your stay."

The Anti-Skill member turned to the next person in line and waved to proceed. The young man collected his papers and turned to enter the city, glancing around at him. Dressed in a khaki colored long coat with a white dress shirt underneath with black dress pants to top it all off, the man named Andre Conon was not dressed for the weather.

The sweat could be clearly seen on his forehead and the brown haired stopped to wipe in off and squint up at the sky.

"It is hot. Why is it so hot?" he continued to look up at the sky, shading his eyes with his hand. "I cannot blot out the sun for that would be a challenge to God. I shall make do with this."

The long coat was taken off and folded neatly, the man draping it over his shoulder before continuing on. He said nothing as he walked, the man glancing around him no matter where he was. He suddenly stopped in front of a large building and looked at a brick column with a sign attached to it.

"Tokiwadai Middle School…" the man looked in towards the school grounds.

There was not much activity from where he was standing aside from a group of girls walking out of the school, a big breasted blonde girl leading them. They were chatting about nothing in particular and Andre watched them walk past him, silently observing. The girls disappeared from sight and Andre left, looking up at the sky.

"Is this truly a city of sinners? Is it right to put all citizens of this city to the sword when they have done no evil? Are the sins of one man enough to condemn an entire population to death? I ask these questions to you, my Lord, so that you may provide to me an answer."

If he had been expecting some sort of sign, none came. Seemingly dejected, the man took out a pocket bible, read a single page, and then walked away, no longer glancing at his surroundings.

…

As per usual, Joseph's was occupied by a group of four middle school girls. Specifically Saten Ruiko, Uiharu Kazar, Kuroko Shirai, and Misaka Mikoto. They sat in their usual seat by the window so they could see the people passing by the restaurant. Eating at Joseph's seemed to be a tradition before they set out to shop or just hang out.

"Did you hear that crazy new rumor?"

The girls had been talking about how unusually hot the day was before Saten suddenly changed the subject, looking up from her phone. Everybody looked at her, wanting to hear what Saten would say next.

"Yet another urban legend?" asked Kuroko, shaking her head in disbelief.

Despite the fact that she lived in Academy City, the pinnacle of scientific advancement, Saten still believed in the supernatural and she frequently browsed sites dedicated to urban legends in Academy City.

"This is seriously true! People have actually seen this guy do stuff!" said Saten, defending her urban legends.

"What is it anyways?" asked, Misaka.

"Well, people on the site are saying that there's a guy in the city that can perform miracles. People have even seen him perform these miracles!" said Saten, obviously excited by the new legend.

Everybody listening to Saten just glanced at each other and had skeptical looks on their faces. Even Uiharu, who usually partially believed Saten, looked skeptical.

"Saten…don't you think that sounds a little too good to be true? I mean, someone who has the ability to perform miracles sounds great and all, but that's way too hard to believe…" said Misaka, Saten sitting back in the booth.

"Oh…well, I thought it might be true." Saten shrugged it off. "Want to head to Seventh Mist now?"

The girls paid the bill and stood up to leave the restaurant. They walked along the street, all of them complaining about how hot it was. The group of middle school girls was almost at Seventh Mist when they heard a blaring horn from behind them. The girls were startled and turned to see a car driving towards them at full speed, the panicked driver desperately trying to stop the car with no success.

"Take them, Kuroko!" shouted Misaka as the teleporter nodded, Saten and Uiharu quickly disappearing with her.

_I'll just have to stop the car myself! _thought the Railgun as she prepared to use her ability to prevent the car from causing any damage.

The electricity shot from her body but didn't get very far as soon as she realized that the situation had changed dramatically. The car had been about to ram into her at full speed, but now the car was driving at normal speed and was no longer veering out of control. As the car drove safely pat her, the Level 5 esper became aware of a person staring at her, a smile on his face. She turned to face the brown haired man who was looking at her.

Dressed in a white dress shirt and black dress pants with a coat over his shoulder, he didn't look special. She turned to face him, a confused look on her face. She recalled Saten talking about a man who could perform miracles.

_No way… Miracles don't happen in real life… _thought Mikoto as she spoke to the man.

"Did you stop the car using your ability?" she asked, the man shaking his head.

"No, I do not possess a gift. Lives were saved today by your hand and God's. You are truly deserving of your blessing, Railgun." said the man before walking away, leaving a confused Mikoto behind.

_Blessing? Saved by God's hand? Just another weirdo in Academy City, huh? _thought Mikoto as she shook her head and ran towards Seventh Mist, eager to rejoin her friends.

…

"I want to go home and have lots of delicious dinner says MISAKA MISAKA happily as she skips around her legal guardian!"

"…"

The strongest of esper in Academy City sighed as he walked through the alleyway, closely followed by a little girl who closely resembled Misaka Mikoto. The sun had gone down long ago and Accelerator was holding a bag of groceries, the two of them walking home to prepare dinner. The little girl ran around him raving about how dinner was going to taste delicious and Accelerator just kept walking, slightly annoyed by the little girl's banter.

"Just be quiet until we get home or you won't be getting any dinner." said Accelerator flatly as they arrived at the alleyway's exit. The pair was about to head home when Accelerator suddenly pushed Last Order behind him, scowling at the figure walking across the street towards them.

It was a young man with brown hair wearing formal black and white dress clothes. He stood in front of Accelerator and smiled.

"Hello, Accelerator."

"And how long have you been following us?"

The man looked confused and glanced down at the little girl hiding behind Accelerator. He looked back up at the albino esper.

"I do not plan to observe your actions. I have come to greet you, one of God's greatest children." replied the man, Accelerator raising an eyebrow.

"What are you going on about? God doesn't exist and even if he did, why the fuck would he favor me?" he asked, the man smiling at him again.

"Perhaps you do not realize this, but you are truly blessed, Accelerator. God has bestowed upon you the Accelerator, a symbol of God's acknowledgment." said the man, Accelerator's fists clenching.

_Blessed? You're fucking kidding me._

"Get back, brat. I'm not going to fucking hold back on this piece of trash." growled Accelerator, Last Order nodding and retreating to safety, watching with anxiety.

The number one esper cracked his neck and grinned sadisticly at the strange preaching man in front of him.

"Blessed, you say? You know, you talking to me like I'm some kind of fucking saint really pisses me off, you know that? You know why? It's because I've killed over ten thousand people and the only place I'm going is Hell so don't tell preach to me about God's grace!" shouted the albino boy as he smashed his foot into the ground, the earth splitting underneath him.

The attack was usually enough to send any crazy person running for cover, but for some reason the preaching man did not run. He simply stood in the attack's way and it did indeed hit him, but it did not send him flying nor did it leave any permanent scars. Accelerator looked shocked as the man brushed himself off.

_What the hell? There's no way I missed…did he dodge it somehow? But, I saw it fucking hit him!_

"God regrets the conflict between his children, but you forget that God forgives, Accelerator. He has already forgiven you and he sits in his imperial domain with the ten thousand you slew in battle. Once you join him in his eternal kingdom, they shall embrace you." said the man, closing his eyes and nodding his head.

The subject of the sisters had always been a very touchy subject for Accelerator and it was Andre's comment that made the Level 5 esper snap.

"W-What the fuck did you just say? Did you really just say that I've been forgiven? You…You just fucking dismissed the shitty guilt I feel with a short remark about how God loves me? YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT, YOU FUCKER!"

And with a roar of anger, Accelerator used all of the calculating ability he had to turn the man in front of him into a pile of bloody rags. He tore up large sections of the street and hurled them with all the force he could muster. The effect was devastating and the impact shook the earth, Accelerator looking to see if the man was dead. Rubble was everywhere and it was highly unlikely that he survived even if he was a high level esper. Still, Accelerator did not feel satisfied. The resurfacing of the bloodstained past shook him and Accelerator could only feel rage inside of him. He turned to leave, a deep glare remaining on his face. The rest of the way home, Last Order to did not dare to make even a peep.

…

"So, you still don't know who attacked you?" asked Mugino as she spoke on the phone with Touma while riding the elevator up to her apartment.

The teenage boy had called her after the incident and told her everything that had happened. Naturally, Mugino was concerned by the whole ordeal and the attack was a frequent topic whenever she spoke with Touma, which was quite often.

"Yeah, Anti-Skill isn't saying much. My misfortune went way too far this time…" said Touma from the other end of the phone.

The elevator door opened and Mugino stepped out into the hallway of her apartment building. She continued chatting with Touma as she rounded a corner. She saw somebody standing at her door and immediately backtracked, hoping that she hadn't been seen.

"Still, I have to thank you for buying me dinner. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't come along!"

"…Somebody's at my door…" whispered Mugino, observing the stranger.

It was strange for her to ever feel fear when confronting a stranger, especially now. During her time as leader of ITEM, any new face represented a possibility of having to kill in order to survive. Nobody was plainly labeled as friend or foe. While she had gotten used to greeting strangers, the one who was standing at her door at the moment seemed different. There was just something off.

_An operative from SCHOOL? Damn it… _thought Mugino as she glanced down the other end of the hallway.

Once she turned to look back at the door to her apartment, the stranger was gone.

…

Touma was standing in front of the stove, the phone wedged between his right ear and his right shoulder. He was busy grilling dinner for Index, the free loading nun who was currently watching TV with the pet cat named Sphinx.

"Somebody's at the door? It must be the delivery man." said Touma as he continued to make dinner.

The doorbell rang and Touma glanced back at Index. He saw the she was glued to the TV so he stepped away from the stove to go answer the door while continuing his conversation with Mugino.

"What? The person just disappeared? Did you even get to see who it was?"

Touma opened the door.

"I believe I have discovered a demon if not Satan himself."

And with that, the room exploded.

**...**

**I apologize for the stupidly long wait for this chapter. I was incredibly busy with school and extracurricular activities and it seems like it'll be that way for a while. I hope I will have more time to write. **

**I was considering putting this chapter off for a while but I decided to write it anyways because I did not want to leave you guys in the dark. No, I am not giving up on this story in any way. We still have to get to Project SYNTHESIS! **

**Also, I apologize if this chapter wasn't as good as my others. I admit that I will have to get used to writing again after taking a two week break. I hope that Mikoto, Saten, Uiharu, and Kuroko were in character for their brief appearance. This is the first time I have written about them seriously. Well, now we have Mugino having frequent conversation with Touma and maybe in the next chapter we'll have some familiar magicians appear and also new living quarters arranged for Touma…**

**Unfortunately, I won't be writing much about the Kihara family this arc because this arc involves the Roman Catholic Church. We'll be seeing more of Noukan and Byouri soon. I don't have much more to say. Anyways, I'll keep trying to get back into the feel of things and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review! **


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